Income Inequality

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News about income inequality, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Mar. 3, 2015

Growing number of rich British citizens are 'non-domiciled' under Edwardian-era tax rule, where they do not have to pay tax on foreign income or assets, only on money they earn in Britain; to qualify, they only need show their fathers were born outside country and they intend to return to that place; as result, national debate arises over inequality, tax havens and government austerity. MORE

Feb. 26, 2015

The Upshot; Pres Obama's proposals to improve fortunes of middle class might be more difficult and more expensive than those implemented to help the poor since the middle class's growth is driven more by private employers and wages they pay them; given this, best approach right now will be to institute small-scale policies that both support middle class workers and increase overall economic growth. MORE

Feb. 25, 2015

Cuba is allowing more private enterprise, and United States is raising amount of remittances that Americans can send to residents; still, influx is only widening gap between haves and have-nots, and between whites and blacks; economists say whites are 2.5 times more likely than blacks to receive remittances, stranding many in decrepit, impoverished neighborhoods. MORE

Feb. 19, 2015

Nicholas Kristof Op-Ed column admits to his change of thinking regarding benefits of labor unions; comments that while once he focused on their flaws and abuses, now he can acknowledge damage the decline of unions is doing to the country; cites labor experts who note that waning union power is linked to rise in income inequality, decline in productivity and decrease in overall prosperity. MORE

Feb. 18, 2015

Jim Dwyer About New York column holds that although Mayor Bill de Blasio has pledged to fight extreme income inequality, policies put in place by former Mayor Michael R Bloomberg are also responsible for city's growing number of midlevel jobs. MORE

Feb. 17, 2015

David Leonhardt The Upshot column looks at report by Stephen J Rose of George Washington University showing that income inequality has not risen since financial crisis; findings, which were based on analysis of tax records and Congressional Budget Office statistics, suggest not only that income inequality is not inevitable, but that government policy has larger effects on issue than is commonly believed. MORE

Feb. 14, 2015

The Upshot; nearly all of the 10 Republican governors who have proposed tax increases have proposed increase in consumption taxes, which disproportionately affect poor and middle-class, even as they have proposed cuts to income taxes; report released by left-leaning think tanks Keystone Research Center and Good Jobs First suggest that similar mixes of tax policies have led to income redistribution upwards toward wealthy and has negatively affected state budgets. MORE

Feb. 12, 2015

Profile of Andrey Vavilov, Russian oligarch who is investing some of major wealth he accrued during post-Soviet era into New York City's booming luxury condo market, including purchasing apartment at Time Warner Center for $37.5 million; Vavilov is part of enclave of hugely wealthy Russians pouring money into city, trend cheered by some and feared by others as sign of growing income inequality (Series: Towers of Secrecy). MORE

Feb. 9, 2015

Op-Ed article by editor and policy expert Ramesh Ponnuru questions rhetorical value of new Republican focus on income inequality, warning that issue does not inspire voters; holds party would do better to focus on economic growth for the middle class. MORE

Feb. 8, 2015

Hillary Rodham Clinton has been meeting with economists and policy experts in order to craft platform that resonates with Americans who are concerned about income inequality but do not react well to vilification of wealthy; Clinton is expected to advance plan that would be more populist than centrist policies pursued by her husband former Pres Bill Clinton during his tenure. MORE

Feb. 8, 2015

Lisa Prevost Mortgages column examines data indicating that low-income and minority households have gained little ground in terms of economic security, and no ground in homeownership, in recent years; notes that federal housing finance agencies are now seeking to broaden homeownership opportunities to underserved populations. MORE

Feb. 2, 2015

Pres Obama will propose $4 trillion budget for 2015 fiscal year that will seek to address widening income inequality and projects deficit of $474 billion, figure many economists see as manageable; budget underscores issue before Congress, as to whether to tackle this gap or address nation's huge debt; Republican House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Paul D Ryan criticizes proposals as more of the same. MORE

Feb. 2, 2015

Charles M Blow Op-Ed column raises concerns about continuing trend in which few women and minorities are pursuing science, technology, engineering and mathematics degrees; warns trend could create a bigger gap in economic equality as STEM fields have more jobs and pay more, and could eventually result in stratified segregation. MORE

Jan. 30, 2015

Op-Ed article by psychologist Susan Pinker notes research showing increased technology in schools has potential to widen class divide in education rather than narrow it; observes that children in poor families are often exposed to more screen time than wealthier peers and, with less supervision by overworked parents, use computers for largely noneducational purposes; holds technology alone will not fix problem, and says money for computers should be matched by teacher training. MORE

Jan. 25, 2015

Nicholas Kristof Op-Ed column reflects on life of his old high school friend Kevin Green, who has died at 54; notes that many might consider Green a moocher, as he survived on disability and food stamps; posits that Green's fate, like many other Americans, was in some part due to nation's trend toward inequality, and to mostly ignored evidence of existing empathy gap between affluent and non-affluent Americans. MORE

Jan. 22, 2015

Growing income inequality has become such prominent political issue that Republicans are being forced to address it; prospective 2016 presidential candidates are increasingly taking stand against poverty and stagnant wages in break from GOP's traditional free market approach. MORE

Jan. 22, 2015

Nicholas Kristof Op-Ed column analyzes some points Pres Obama made in his State of the Union message; points out average American has not fared significantly better since Reagan era and that inequality has worsened further under Obama; favors some if his proposals, such as those that improve country's stalled education system and increase incentives to work. MORE

Jan. 21, 2015

Editorial praises Pres Obama for way he addressed income inequality and economic struggles of the poor and middle class in his State of the Union address; suggests that whoever is chosen as Democratic nominee for 2016 presidential election will have to address these issues head-on; urges Obama not to compromise with Republican majority in Congress. MORE

Jan. 19, 2015

Oxfam releases study finding that world's richest 1 percent are set to control more than half of all global wealth by 2016, marking watershed in rise of income inequality; report, which comes days before annual World Economic Forum meeting, indicates that divide is starker than at any point in recent history. MORE

Jan. 15, 2015

The Upshot; report sponsored by Washington research group Center for American Progress finds that while wages for poor and middle class have stagnated in United States, they have risen in countries that intervene more with free market, provide more education to poor children and give employees more power in workplace; proposes solutions including more tax breaks for middle class and fewer for executive compensation. MORE

Jan. 15, 2015

Hong Kong Chief Exec Leung Chun-ying, while describing measures intended to address housing shortages and subdue public anger over housing and inequality in city, cautions that making concessions to protestors could court anarchy; housing shortages and related concessions to wealthy citizens were among issues raised by protestors who occupied Hong Kong streets for 11 weeks in 2014. MORE

Jan. 14, 2015

Report by Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy finds state and local tax systems in United States are almost universally unfair, with poorest residents paying highest percent of their income and wealthy paying lowest; analysis finds trend is growing worse, and may be contributing to widening income inequality. MORE

Jan. 11, 2015

Ginia Bellafante Big City column says New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has taken significant steps to close economic gap between rich and poor in his first year in office; notes that city negotiated nearly $140 million deal with state to help subsidize rents for homeless families and has financed construction of nearly 3,900 units of affordable housing and preservation of more than 7,500 others. MORE

Jan. 9, 2015

Pres Obama says he will introduce plan to make community colleges tuition-free for millions of students, in attempt to respond to rising income inequality; program would be paid for by federal government and participating states, but will probably not be welcomed by Republican Congress; Obama plans to make initiative part of his budget proposal. MORE

Jan. 8, 2015

Study in newspaper The National Bureau of Economic Research concludes that being married makes people happier and more satisfied with their lives than those who remain single, particularly during stressful periods; study shows that economically disadvantaged people are less likely to get or stay married; in turn, those who could most benefit from marriage are least likely to wed. MORE

Jan. 2, 2015

Paul Krugman Op-Ed column argues that global economic trends in which wages of working classes of advanced nations are shrinking as incomes of global elite are expanding are not being addressed by world leaders; warns lack of champion for working classes is resulting in unsavory political leaders rising to prominence, such as nationalist, anti-immigrant parties in Europe. MORE

Dec. 30, 2014

Political Memo; bipartisan economists have seemingly become frustrated with persistent, generation-long stagnation of middle-class incomes; both Democrats and Republicans are considering big policy shifts that could address trend, with Democrats pushing for heavy investment in infrastructure spending and Republicans calling for overhauling energy policy and corporate tax code. MORE

Dec. 18, 2014

Pew Research Center report finds wealth gap between America's top 20 percent of earners and rest of country has stretched to its widest point in at least three decades. MORE

Dec. 14, 2014

Gray Matter column by Prof Christopher Von Rueden describes his research about relationship between social status and health, published in journal Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health; notes his research involving Tsimane people of Amazonian Bolivia shows that higher status is associated with lower levels of stress and better health; suggests findings are important to debate over effects of wealth inequality. MORE

Dec. 13, 2014

Pew Research Center report finds wealth gap between minorities and whites continued to increase in midst of economic recovery; states median net worth of white households in 2013 was $141,900, about 13 times that of black households, at $11,000; adds numbers are slightly higher for Hispanics, whose median household net worth was $13,700 in 2013. MORE

Dec. 7, 2014

The Upshot; Tyler Cown Economic View column examines whether market forces, particularly the rise of technology, might limit or reverse income inequality; holds that new and cheaper services could effectively increase wages, and that new employment opportunities could arise as computers become easier to operate by those with only rudimentary skills; outlines other potential benefits. MORE

Dec. 7, 2014

Op-Ed article by sociologist Andrew J Cherlin contends census records show that social class differences in marriage have been tied to extent of income inequality among white Americans for at least 130 years; notes that records show that commentators who insist current marriage gap between low- and high-income Americans is wholly matter of values are wrong. MORE

Dec. 3, 2014

Eduardo Porter Economic Scene column observes that while Chile is still hobbled by stark income inequality, the gap is shrinking as its economy expands; notes that trend is also true in several other areas of Latin America, and economists have not yet fully explained it; warns that narrowing gap may be a symptom of economic vulnerability rather than policy success. MORE

Dec. 1, 2014

Op-Ed article by nonprofit expert David Callahan examines proposed park along Manhattan's shoreline, conceived and largely financed by billionaire Barry Diller; notes park is only the latest example of how private funding has displaced a hollowed-out public sector in building and caring for public spaces; contends while philanthropy is welcome, power shift is part of a larger story about rising inequality and shrinking democracy. MORE

Nov. 30, 2014

Residents of wealthy California district encompassing Rancho Santa Fe are using more water than those in any other part of state, three years into severe drought; water managers are pushing area residents to cut back on water use and share burden that has so far been shouldered largely by poorer parts of state. MORE

Nov. 30, 2014

Op-Ed article by author Eugene Linden observes that same insecurities that led people to buy encyclopedias before the personal computer and Internet are what support rise of for-profit education today; describes how his experience selling encyclopedias during college illustrated America's enduring tension between anti-intellectualism and academic achievement, and how that tension perpetuates income inequality. MORE

Nov. 28, 2014

Paul Krugman Op-Ed column dismisses complaints from Republicans about proposed Environmental Protection Agency rules designed to curb emissions of ozone; examines why polluters can always count on Republican support to continue polluting; posits that rising inequality is in part responsible for partisan divide on environmentalism. MORE

Nov. 17, 2014

Steven Rattner Op-Ed article holds that already-dismal prospects of addressing income inequality have grown dimmer following Democrats' drubbing in the midterm elections; questions whether issue has lost resonance because Americans have become inured to a new gilded age; offers several ways to address worsening financial situation for middle and working class Americans. MORE

Nov. 5, 2014

Eduardo Porter Economic Scene column contends redistributing income with taxes and transfers is largely failing to close America's income gap; says it might be addressed at level of the corporation, not by government, and that voters say companies could do more to attack income gap. MORE

Oct. 26, 2014

Nicholas Kristof Op-Ed column contends that Americans should be shocked by Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development annual survey underscoring degree to which United States is being eclipsed by other countries in terms of equal opportunity education; charges that quality education for all was once an American standard and getting back to that summit is this generation's greatest civil rights challenge. MORE

Oct. 24, 2014

Paul Krugman Op-Ed column likens China's impulse to suppress open voting in Hong Kong to agenda of political conservatives in United States; challenges notion that income redistribution among haves and have-nots would lead to economic chaos, but notes that conservatives continue to raise false alarm about evils of tax-and-spend policies so that voters never learn that things could be different. MORE

Oct. 22, 2014

Study finds that private groups are raising more for public schools in wealthier communities, highlighting concerns about inequality. MORE

Oct. 10, 2014

Op-Ed article by Prof Edward D Kleinbard contends addressing income inequality in America through tax structure is wrong way to think about the issue; calls for a progressive fiscal system, which would encompass both the tax and spending sides of government. MORE

Oct. 5, 2014

Gray Matter column by Profs Stephane Cote and Michael W Kraus describes their research on how economic inequality influences interactions between people; notes that they found that cross-class interactions are plagued with difficulties. MORE

Oct. 2, 2014

University of Chicago announces new program that will replace loans for needy students with grants and eliminate application fee for lower-income students, among other measures; program aims to attract more low-income students to the college. MORE

Oct. 1, 2014

University of Chicago is unveiling package of measures to make applying faster, simpler and cheaper, and to make studying there more affordable. MORE

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